Setting Sail

February marks the beginning of regatta season in the Caribbean — pictured is a shot from the St. Croix Regatta, running from February 19 to 21 — and as a total sailing neophyte, I’m eagerly reading every tidbit I come across regarding these sailing spectacles. In 28 short days I’ll be testing the waters, so to speak, when I head to St. Maarten to participate in the 30th annual Heineken Regatta from March 4-7. Growing up in landlocked Kansas, I had little exposure to the big blue sea, neither did I get into sailing in Wisconsin, where I went to school, and I've yet to be on a boat here in Florida. Which seems ridiculous. I suppose it took the lure of getting to sail in an actual race, all the Heineken I can handle (believe me, they'll be sorry) and a trip to beautiful St. Maarten to convince me to climb aboard. I'm not sure if I'll make captain in my days on board or I'll be swabbing decks, but either way, I can't wait. If you want to join in the fun, the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino is offering a "Regatta Retreat" special where you'll get a free night for stays from March 3 to 8, as long as you book four nights. Rates start at $290 per room, per night. Surf over to www.sonesta.com/stmaarten and use booking code HR10. See you there!

Free Condos in St. Maarten...Seriously

So let's say you have a multi-million dollar mega yacht (I mean, who doesn't?) – and let's also say you're a big fan of cruising around the Caribbean. You're reading this blog, so at least that second part is probably true. Now the obvious question is, where to dock the thing on your many jaunts to St. Maarten? Lucky for you, big spender, the folks over at the luxury Porto Cupecoy village have an idea – and it's a cool one. To celebrate the grand opening of the property's new marina complex in December, your purchase of one of the 11 mega yacht slips will also get you a free residence valued up to $500,000! Yes, a free half-million dollar condo. I wouldn't make that up.

To check out the available marina slips and take photo and video tours of the rest of the 182-unit Porto Cupecoy property, just surf over to the promotion page on their site. And since we know you love free stuff, don't forget to visit our own contest page, then enter our two new social media promotions – the Facebook Fan Frenzy and the Win a Stay at Coconut Bay Contest – for your chance to win free vacations in St. Lucia and Bermuda!

Affordable Luxury in the Grenadines

If you find yourself with a little free time this Fall, Young Island Resort in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has an idea for how you can spend it. Between now and October 31, if you book either the Lover's or Sail Away package for seven nights, you'll get your eighth night free plus a complimentary upgrade to an all-inclusive stay, so all your meals, drinks and snacks will be on the house. And if you book a Luxury or Duvernette cottage for your stay, you'll also enjoy free round-trip airfare between Barbados and St. Vincent.

The Lover's package starts at $3,430 per couple and includes accommodations in an ocean view room, airport and ferry transfers, a spa voucher and daily fresh fruits and flowers in your room, while the Sail Away package includes five nights of resort accommodations before taking to the high seas for two nights aboard a private 44-foot yacht. With the Sail Away option, you'll also cruise to Bequia and Mustique for snorkeling and sightseeing all included in the rate of $4,320 per couple.

Just surf over to the Young Island web site to book your private island vacation.

Sail the Caribbean Like Rupert Murdoch

When five stars just don't cut it anymore, it may be time to take to the high seas in a $40 million chartered megayacht. The newest member of the rental pool is the Rosehearty, a 184-foot sailing yacht designed by the famed Italian boat-builder Perini Navi (the company responsible for the outlandishly opulent, 290-foot Maltese Falcon, a vessel doubtless familiar to visitors of Antigua's Falmouth Harbour during Sailing Week). Owned by News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, the Rosehearty (named after Murdoch's home in Centre Island, New York — also rentable) offers space for 10 charter guests (not including the crew of nine) in five suites created by French designer and decorator Christian Liaigre. It has an on-board gym, six sets of dive gear, and a pair of sailing dinghies (with instructor, of course). The tab for sailing the Caribbean like a media mogual? Try €220,000 a week (that's about $314,000 at current rates). Fortunately, for the rest of us, daydreams are still free.

Grenada Seafaris Raises its Eco-Consciousness

Anyone headed to the southernmost of the Windward Islands will be interested to note that things have changed at little at tour operator Grenada Seafaris since our own Baz Dreisinger took a ride on the wild side last September. The company, which offers wind-in-the-hair excursions up and down Grenada's western coast for snorkelers and divers (although landlubbers are always welcome) has become a whole lot more ecologically focused of late. In addition to offering tour-goers a high-speed lesson in the island's history and geography, Grenada Seafaris is newly keen to impress upon tourists and cruise-shippers the value and fragility of Grenada's eco-system, explore ways they can make a positive impact on the environment, and discuss initiatives to protect and rebuild natural assets.

Says Suzanne Clarke, who launched Grenada Seafaris with her husband Howard in November 2007, "We would hope to raise their awareness of the environmental issues that affect the island and the impact that each one of us has on our environment, i.e. negative – pollution, damage to our reef and our natural environment." Seafaris is also working with local schools to draw focus to environmental issues in Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean.

Rest assured, however, that Grenada Seafaris' enhanced earth-consciousness hasn't lessened the thrill factor of its tours: The 30-foot-long Grenada Explorer is as fast and furious as ever, with motorcycle-style seating for 12 passengers. Tours leave Grenada's capital of St. George's and charge up the coast, hitting a variety of secluded beaches, including Black Bay, and taking in a host of must-see underwater sites — including, of course, artist Jason de Caires Taylor's astonishing underwater sculpture park at Moliniere Point. Tour prices start at US$65.

Give Land a Chance

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What's not to love about sailing through the Caribbean? There's the sun on your face, the wind at your back, and that intoxicating Titanic sensation you get from charting a course to any exotic destination you like. Out on the open water, it’s easy to feel that just maybe you really are the king of the world. (I like to act this scene out whenever possible on a ship, though I prefer princess). But whether your vessel of choice is a mega yacht or dingy, sometimes you need to give your sea legs a break.

The folks over at Royal Plantation know the feeling, and they're giving you yachties a convincing reason to get off the boat. Next time you find yourself adrift in the Exumas, drop anchor at the 50-acre private island resort and check out the Escape Offshore package, which buys you a five-course dinner at the Harbour Club, and includes unlimited wine, champagne, and premium cocktails. The tab? Just $100 per person...a price that could turn even diehard seafarers into landlubbers. With all the free drinks, though, please consider a designated captain for your return voyage.

Check out the Royal Plantation site to make a reservation:

www.royalplantation.com